Water ski towline retriever



July 23, 1963 D. D. BROWN WATER sx: TOWLINE RETRIEVER Filed Dec. 23, 1959 INVENTOR. iamldflfirdzr/v,

BY Maw AYYWRNEKS Unit tts at 3,098,463 WATER SKI TOWLINE RETRIEVER Donald D. Brown, Verden, Okla. Filed Dec. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 861,685 6 Claims. (Cl. 114-235) This invention relates to water skiing and like sports, and in particular to the towing elements involved in such sports.

In water skiing in particular, despite the general high level of skill of the participants, spills are nevertheless of frequent occurrence, and the riderless towlines tend to run wild with resultant hazard to humans who might be in their path, and also to the gear of the towing craft, especially screw propellers and outboard motor parts. Manual retrieving is not only slow and uncertain but requires an operator in addition to the pilot of the towing craft. These difiiculties remain even in the case of a hand-powered winch for the towline. The latter device which has been suggested and employed in prior art practice has also suffered from the defect that the towing load is applied directly on the winch, requiring elaborate brake means.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a retriever for towlines in skiing operations which is rapid in response and dependable in action.

A further object is to provide a towline system involving a retriever in which the towing load is assumed by means apart from the retriever proper.

Further objects are to provide a towline system with retriever which is simple and rugged of construction, low

in cost, easily mounted and demounted in all types of towing craft, and which is simple, dependable, and easily controlled by a single occupant of the towing craft.

The foregoing objects are attained by a simple winch mounted on a motor with a push-button control and plug-in connection to a battery, and a towline on the winch and threaded through a detachable bridle or other means anchored on the boat, with the towline carrying stop means to limit outward passage through the bridle and to transfer the load-carrying function to the bridle.

For a more detailed description of the invention reference is made to the specification to follow, as illustrated in the single sheet of drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the rear portion of a boat with the towline threaded through the bridle;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the motor and winch of FIGURE 1, enlarged, and showing the wiring circuit schematically;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, detail view of the towline limiting system at the middle of the towing bridle;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail in side elevation, of the right, rear corner of the boat of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the right, rear corner of a boat showing a difierent arrangement of the towline guide.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a boat hull 1 with transom 2 mounting an outboard motor 3. A motor 4 of suitable rating as to voltage, ampere-hours, power and speed is bolted through its base 5 to a more extensive base plate 6 which is readily secured as by screws 7 to the rear seat 8 or other superstructure rearwardly of the boat. A winch spool 9 with end flanges 10 is attached to shaft 11 of motor 4 by a key or setscrew for rotation therewith, and has wound on its central portion a tow cable 12. The latter is in two parts, the rearward segment 13 being coupled to the forward segment 12 through a ring 14 to which the respective segments are suitably attached, as by twisting (FIGURE 3).

The rearward tow cable segment 13, which carries a gripping handle 15 for the skier, is threaded through a ring 16 forming the central link of a chain bridle 17. The latter is arranged for easy attachment to eye-bolts 18 in transom 2 by means of snap hooks 19 carried at its extremities. Bridle 17 will have just enough slack to avoid interference with the outboard motor system or propeller and to allow retraction of the tow handle 15 without such interference. Ring link 16 of the bridle has a smaller inner diameter than the outer diameter of the connector ring 14 of the towline, with the result that when the towline has been payed out to the extent that the rings come into contact, the bridle 17 becomes directly engaged by the towing load thus relieving all load on the winch. This permits of a motor-winch system of the utmost simplicity.

A battery 20 conveniently of 6 or 12 volt rating, suitably carried in the rear of the boat, as on platform or seat 8, furnishes power for the motor 4. Consistent with the dem-ountable character of the winch system, a female plug unit 21 is mounted on the boat and receives the ends of leads 22 on the terminals of the battery. With this arr-angement a male plug 23 on cord 24 forms a permanent appendage on the motor. The plug 23 is preferably of a form assuring proper polarity. One of the conductors in cable 24, indicated as 24 in the wiring diagram of FIG- URE 2 includes, serially, a solenoid switch, indicated generally by the numeral 25 in FIGURE 2. A cord 26 (FIGURE 1) of suitable length to reach to the drivers or pilots seat and including a push button 27 at its forward end, encloses the starting leads 28 across the solenoid which actuates the main switch in line 24. Alternatively, the push button may be mounted on the dashboard or instrument panel of the boat, with a cable leading to the rear and adapted to plug into the solenoid switch unit. It is also possible, and may be desirable in some cases, to mount the entire wiring and control system, including, the solenoid switch, permanently in the boat, in which case it will only be necessary to plug a single connection from the motor into the solenoid unit.

In operation the skier grasps the handle 15 and, due to resistance of the water to his forward progress, the cable '13 is payed out through the ring 16, either with the winch free-wheeling, or with the motor energized to prevent over-running and snarling of the line. When the line has payed out to the extent that ring 14 of the towline contacts ring 16 of the bridle, the entire towing load is taken over by the bridle 17, with no load on the winch. It is at this stage that energization of the motor is particularly useful in preventing over-running of the idle portion 12 of the tow cable. While the power rating of the motor need not be more than enough for retraction of the towline alone, it may have suflicient power to bring in the skier along with the towline, for while this entails transferring the load to the winch, the load conditions, generally speaking, will be much less severe in this case than during maneuvers. The preferred use of the device, however, is in retraction of the towline alone, and to this end, in the event the ski run is suddenly terminated, by accident or design with release of the tow handle by the skier, the driver of the boat need only press the push button 27, energizing the motor and rewinding the towline on the spool. The natural friction of the rope in the water provides enough pull so that the towline is smoothly and efiiciently rewound upon the winch bringing the towing hanidle back into the neighborhood of the boat in readiness for a new run, or for storage on the boat, as the case may .be, and this retracting process takes place with the usual, attendant hazards minimized.

The invention also contemplates a series of towlines either mounted on the single winch, or on separate winches.

It may be desirable to drag the towline from a point other than that shown in FIGURE 1, and in this case the Patented July 23, 1963 l I i I l I y 3 bridle may be dispensed with. Thus, in FIGURE 5 there is shown a portion of a. winch spool 9 mounted on a rear platform 8 of a boat, as in FIGURE 1, but with towline 13 threaded through a system detachably secured to an eye-bolt 29 screwed into the gunwale of the boat. For this purpose, a stop ring 30 functioning in the same manner as ring16 ,of. FIGURE 1 is carried by an eye 31 of a snaphook 32 which serves to engage the fixed eye-bolt 29. With this arrangement operation of the system is the same as in the case of FIGURE 1, with the additional advantages that the system is simplified by omission of the bridle, the chance of tangling the towlines with the propeller is lessened, and plural towlines may more conveniently be employed, with suitable eye-bolts at spaced points to avoidtangling of the towlines.

The electric wind-up system can be modified to suit any boat or electrical system in use. It can be mounted at any,

place in the boat and the essential parts are self-contained, with the result that'it may be conveniently removed for storage, in the boat or elsewhere, or for mounting on another boat. g

Obviously the stop ring '14 of the towline need not have the ringform shown, but may be of any size or shape whichwill fail to pass through the ring 16 or equivalent guide.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have beenshown and described, the invention is not to be deemed as limited thereby since various modifications lying within the spirit and scope of the appended-claims will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

I claim:

1. Means for connecting atowline to a boat having a propeller atthe stern thereof, whereby the towline may be trailed from the stern, free from entanglement with the propeller, comprising: a winding spool mounted inboard of said boat, a towline to be wound thereupon secured at its inner end to said'spool, guide and support means including a constricted portion through which the towline passes, an enlarged portion located on the towline between said spool and said guide and support means, said en- .4 largement being of such size as Will prevent its passage throughthe guide and support means, suspension means flexibly secured adjacent the stern of the boat, securing and suspending the guide and support means, said suspension means acting, when the enlargement engages the guide and support means, to transmit the towing function through the support meansand the suspension means to the boat and, when the towline is slack, to hold the towline out of entanglement with the propeller.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the suspension means is abridle.

3. The combination of claim 2' wherein the arms of the bridle are connected by a ring and wherein the ring serves as the guide and support means.

4. The combination of claim 3' whereinthe towline is in two segments, the segments being joined by a second ring, said second ring being larger than the first ring and constituting the enlargement of the towline.

5. The combination of claim 4, the bridle being formed of chain and connected to the stern of the boat by means of snaphooks.

6-: In a combination as in claim- 5, an electric motor connected in driving relationship to said spool, and having leads with plug-in means fora battery, and leads with aremote starter switch.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED .STATES PATENTS 336,830 Winter Fel 23,. 1 1,023,816 Coggeshall Apr. 23, 1912 1,768,295 Rogers June 24, 1930 2,079,021 Malcolm etal. May 4, 1937 2,222,409 Gottlieb Nov. 19, 1940 2,318,150 Foss May 4, 1943 2,363,668 Groen- Nov. 28, 1944 2,771,053 Gustaf-son Nov. 20, 1956 2,944,507 Beal July 12, 1960 2,956,778 Weide et al Oct. 18, 1960 3,041,996 Roberts July 3, 1962 

1. MEANS FOR CONNECTING A TOWLINE TO A BOAT HAVING A PROPELLER AT THE STERN THEREOF, WHEREBY THE TOWLINE MAY BE TRAILED FROM THE STERN, FREE FROM ENTANGLEMENT WITH THE PROPELLER, COMPRISING: A WINDING SPOOL MOUNTED INBOARD OF SAID BOAT, A TOWLINE TO BE WOUND THEREUPON SECURED AT ITS INNER END TO SAID SPOOL, GUIDE AND SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING ACONSTRUCTED PORTION THROUGH WHICH THE TOWLINE PASSES, AN ENLARGED PORTION LOCATED ON THE TOWLINE BETWEEN SAID SPOOL AND SAID GUIDE AND SUPPORT MEANS, SAID ENLARGEMENT BEING OF SUCH SIZE AS WILL PREVENT ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THE GUIDE AND SUPPORT MEANS, SUSPENSION MEANS FLEXIBLY SECURED ADJACENT THE STERN OF THE BOAT, SECURING AND SUSPENDING THE GUIDE AND SUPPORT MEANS, SAID SUSPENSION MEANS ACTING, WHEN THE ENLARGEMENT ENGAGES THE GUIDE AND SUPPORT MEANS, TO TRANSMIT THE TOWING FUNCTION THROUGH THE SUPPORT MEANS AND THE SUSPENSION MEANS TO THE BOAT AND, WHEN TOWLINE IS SLACK, TO HOLD THE TOWLINE OUT OF ENTANGLEMENT WITH THE PROPELLER. 